I don’t know much about string theory and modern physics but I have evidence supporting the notion of alternate universes.  In short, I spent Monday night at the school board meeting and Wednesday at township council.

It seems the only link between these two bodies is my tax dollars.  They do not communicate well with each other.  Fundamentally, it’s because the school board and the township governing body each live in their own universe.  Each panel has their own backstory about the other which filters any attempts at communication.  At least that’s how it looks to someone peripherally involved with both the schools and the township.

I heard Monday they’d agreed on the township paying for the Grayrock Road alignment, but on Wednesday, it seems the township is expecting the district to defray some ’soft’ costs (soft = engineers, pavement = hard).  Not bad for a first agreement on this issue. 

Now that the re-alignment has been more or less settled and the road moved away from the house (I believe to improve sight lines) the district and township are working on the actual subdivision.  The road should be complete August 1st.  The district will need a temporary CCO to set up the classrooms, etc. over the summer. 

The question of the week:  Will the new middle school even open?  Will the state continue the ‘new school building’ exception to the (3%) cap on increased spending so the district can float a budget with a 16% increase to fund building-specific personnel and expenses.  On Wednesday, the question was if the school doesn’t open in September, does that change the urgency of the road re-alignment.  Let’s not even think about this new school project unraveling.

Back on Monday, I could see where this was going:  The state allows the increase (since the rationale for it remains strong) but local voters defeat this budget (as they have in the past 3 of 4 years) and by law the school budget then goes before the township council.  That’s when parallel universes collide.  But we have to believe the school will open.  Meanwhile, the apparent agreement and scheduling of road work and work on subdivision has to count as progress.  

On Wednesday the governing body was addressed by many people regarding the police director position - so many people that the meeting was moved to the high school cafeteria.  So I decided to not present on how we hoped they would help us acquire the property. Below is a link to the document I’d prepared, which I will present at the next township council meeting.

memoto-the-townshipcouncil.pdf

 

At the most recent meeting of the 1759Vought House Inc. discussion focused on two topics: the perennial topic of the acquisition process, and how we can best work make this house museum a success -

On the acquisition topic, I recounted my recent email to the Twp. council members detailing reasons they should consider accepting the Vought house from the school district and donate it to us:

• The objection regarding acquiring also unresolved fines is irrelevant since we would also not be willing to assume such liability - the policy we ask for is conditional on the fines issue being resolved
• The notion that this asset is best brought to a bid process gets it backwards simply because it treats as an asset what is a liability (the house - a huge money pit) and overlooks the real asset

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NOTE: Few people have better described the relevence of history to today’s world.  
And, whether (like me) you agree or you disagree with his reference to Iraq, you’ll probably agree we understand the present better the more we understand our past. 
So here’s a copy of Arthur Schlesinger’s New Years Day op-ed:

The New York Times, January 1, 2007
Op-Ed Contributor

Folly’s Antidote
By ARTHUR M. SCHLESINGER Jr.

MANY signs point to a growing historical consciousness among the American people. I trust that this is so. It is useful to remember that history is to the nation as memory is to the individual. As persons deprived of memory become disoriented and lost, not knowing where they have been and where they are going, so a nation denied a conception of the past will be disabled in dealing with its present and its future. “The longer you look back,” said Winston Churchill, “the farther you can look forward.”

But all historians are prisoners Read the rest of this entry »

National Park Service:  The Preserve America matching-grant program provides funding to designated Preserve America Communities to support preservation efforts through heritage tourism, education and historic preservation planning.

There’s a February 14th application deadline on this grant application. Click here for the web site.

“The application must be signed and submitted by the chief elected governing official of the jurisdiction. In most cases, this will mean a mayor, county executive, or tribal chairman.”

It seems to me that the first step is to become a Preserve America Community - and the best place for that to happen locally is at the County level.  Then a number of museums would be able to seek matching-grant funding.

Welcome, members of The 1759 Vought House, to our new Blog! 
  A place to share ideas and comments as we move into 2007
      OUR NEXT MEETING WILL BE JANUARY 19 @ 3PM 

We got a nice front-page writeup in Wednesday’s Hunterdon Review (still on the newstands through Tuesday Jan2).  I’ve saved the contents on this page (click here). 

The mayor’s comment, that the township would be remiss “unless it also gave other non-profit groups a chance to bid on the property” initially made a strong impression on me but on further reflection it seems the question is not “is there anyone else out there willing to take on this project” but rather, “what criterion would the township use in selecting among groups if there is more than one willing to take possession?”  

The answer to that question seems obvious:  Competence, ability to achieve results, seems the right stuff for any group that takes on this daunting project, if we’re to avoid yet another example of ‘demolition by neglect’ within Clinton Township.  I think the mayor and council would agree: ability, not purchase price, is the single selection criterion which represents the best long-term interests of Clinton Township. 

This house is not an asset and shouldn’t be treated as anything but the liability it has proven to be to the school district.  Talk about a money pit!  It’s also a potential legal liability, clearly a vandal magnet, and an ugly facade on the edge of the school yard.  If only there was a group, not just any group, we’d need “an impressive collection of educators, historians, preservationists and others.”  Preferably a group that understands they are “undertaking an enormous task, but few worthwhile efforts are easy.”  (July 6, 2006 Hunterdon County Democrat editorial re: The 1759 Vought House, Inc.)  Fortunately, there is such a group — don’t look now, but - we’re it!

___________________________ Read the rest of this entry »